Drop-weight control for loom pattern mechanism



Nov. 30 1926. v 1,608,684

K. J. UNWIN ET AL DROP WEIGHT CONTROL FOR LOOM PATTERN MECHANISM Filed Sept. 26, 1925 Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED smrss 1,608,684 "PATENT OFFICE.

KENNETH J. U-NWIN, OF SHREVSBURY, AND "W'ALTER H. Wit IKE FIELD, F W'ORCES- TEE, "MASSACHUSETTS, JTSSIGNOZRS T0 "CR OMPT O-N t *K-NOWIJES LOOM WORKS, 013 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DROP- 'WE IGHT CONTROL FOR LOOiM PATTERN MECHANISM.

Application filed September 2'6, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in :h'op weight controlling devices for the pattern mechanism of Knowles looms and an object of the invention is to provide means by which'the drop weight-s may he moved to and held in inoperative position when it is desired to take out one of the vibrator levers forming part of the pattern mechanlsm.

The pattern mechanism ofthe Knowles loom comprises a series of vibrator levers each havinga'vibr'ator gear'rotatahly mountea thereon which is controlled as to vertical position by means of the pattern chain. A

connector is attached at its inner end to the vibrator gear and at the outer end is con- 'nected to the harness jack. The harness jack is attached to the connector by an open bearing to permit "separation of the parts 'Whenit is desired to remove a defective vi- 'lor'ator lever. In order that the connectors may lo'e properlyseate d at all time's-each is provided with a spring pressed casting known as a drop weight the function of which is to hold the connector in lowered position and maintain operative contact between the same and thefharness ack.

The removal ofthe vibrator lever "requires the lifting oi' the 'drop weight with one hand while the operator "uses his other hand to withdrawthe defective part. In order "to facilitate "this operation various devices have heretofore been proposed but they have usually required the disablement of all 'the devices at once. Whentheloom has a number jof h'arnesses the combined pressure of all the "drop weights is "considerable and it is a more particular object of our invention to provide a device for operating upon a relatively small number ofxdr'op weights at a time to "theend that the operation may he easier. I

Itis=asti 1 further object of our invention to provide means for rendering inoperative *the drop weights in-such a manner'that they may he held in raised position withotitconlti'nued attendance on'the part of the oper- *ator.

With'these and other-objects inview which will appear "as th'e description proceeds our invention resides in the combination and set forth in thecl'aims. In the accompanying drawings wherein ar angement of parts hereinafter described described-the dropweight weirdly against the con Serial No. 58,707.

wehav'e shown a convenient embodiment of our invention,

Fig. 1 1s a vertical longitudinal section througha Knowles headlooking towardthe front of the loom and having our invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. '3 is a detailed view of one of the camshaving operative contact with the drop weights, v w

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation taken in the direction of arrow 4, Fig. 1 with certain parts shown section,

Fig. 5 is a section takenalong line 5-5 oi Figgl, V I

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the ,parts in a difierentlposition, and

Fig.- 7 'is'a fragmentary-elevation taken in the direction of arrow 7 in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that we'h'ave provided a loom 10 having a head frame 11 on which are rotatahly mounted upper and lower mutilated oppd sitely rotating cylinder gea'rslQ and 13, re-

spectively. An extension of the head frame 11 is provided with a heel pin lt which receives-the outer ends of a pluralityoi' vibrator levers 15 'oneachoi' which is rotatahly anounted a vibrator gear 16.

Pivotally mounted on "each vibrator gear as at 17 is a connector18having a slotted bearing 19 to receive a gudgeon 20 formed on harness. jack "21. Said jacks 21 move about a (pin 22 to raise and lower the harnesses (not shown) as the vibrator gears are actuated by one or the other of the cylinders.

In order to hold the connectors 18 in position so that their open hearings may be "seated on the .gud'geons of the jacks there rounded by. a "compressionspring located between the cross dear 26 and a head'tormed on the 'lowerend thereof. By the mechanism e pushed down to hold the IOU open bearing 19 in operative contact with the gudgeon 20 While permitting the rising and falling of said connector due to the movement of the vibrator gears and the har ness levers to which they are connected. The matter thus far described is of well-known construction and forms no essential part of our present invention.

In carrying out our improvements we provide a cross shaft rotatably mounted in bearings 41 formed in the frame of the loom and having secured to the forward end thereof a normally upstanding handle 42. Secured to said shaft at spaced intervals between the sides of the frame 10 are cams 48 secured in position by means of set screws 44 and having cam faces terminating in dwells 46. As shown herein the cams 43 are spaced'apart a distance equal to four times the distance between the'centers of adjacent vibrators, this number being chosen as it is the number of levers required for the box motion on a loom having four drop boxes on each end of the lay. Each drop weight 23 is provided with an upstanding arm 47 which lies closely adjacent the low part of the cam 43 when the handle 42 is inv normal position.

The shaft 40'is provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves 48 which are spaced apart a distance equal to the space between the centers of adjacent vibrator levers. In order to hold the shaft 40 in proper angular and longitudinal position we I flattened area 58 when the handle is in normal raised position to hold the handle up and the finger 52 has a rounded surface.

7 which enters the grooves 48 to position the shaft 40 longitudinally to enable the handle .to be turned without endwise motion of the shaft, thus insuring contact between each 7 drop weight and its actuating cam.

Under normal conditions the vibrator levers will be raised and lowered by the pattern mechanism 31 and the drop weights will cooperate to hold the connectors in proper position. When it is desired to re-' move one of the vibrator levers the shaft 40 will be moved longitudinally by means of handle 42 until one or another of the cams 43 is aligned with the upstanding arm 47 of the drop weight corresponding to the selected vibrator lever. The handle 42 is then turned in a counter-clockwise direction to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. This is accompanied by a backward movement of the arm 47, the dwell- 46 being spaced suiiiciently from the axis of the cam.

to raise the associated drop weight to the groups.

drop weight.

dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 where it will be high enough to permit the removal of the vibrator lever.

In the particular form of head motion illustrated in the drawings sixteen harnesses have been shown and four cams so that there would be four of the notches 48 and each of the cams 43 would be movable to position to raise four of the vibrators. \Vhen the defective lever has been replaced, the handle 42 is turned baclr to normal po sition, thus restoring all the drop weights to operative position.

In order to provide for the box motion the shaft may be extended to carry one of the cams which will cooperate with the box liftingvibrators in a manner similar to that part of the mechanism similar to that devoted to the operation of the harness frames.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a convenient means for raising-the drop weights and holding the same in elevated position thus freeing both hands of the operator to remove the vibrator levers. It will also be seen that only a small part of the total number of vibrators.

will be raised so that the strain of lifting all the drop weights is avoided.

Having thus described our invention it will be'apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art and we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what we claim is:

1. In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, and an angularly and. longitudinally movable member to raise said drop weights in relatively small 2. In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality. of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, and means movable into alignment with any selected drop weight to raise and hold the same in raised position. 7

3. In a loom pattern mechanism having a pluralityof pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, and means movable longitudinally into alignment with any selected drop weight and movableangw larly to raise and hold the selected drop weight in elevated position.

r In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, Ineansmovable into alignment with any selected drop weight to raise the'same, and a device to hold said means in alignment with the selected 5. In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, har ness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, means inovable angnlarly and longitudinally to raise any selected drop weight, and means to hold the first named means in longitudinal alignment with the selected drop weight as the said first named means is moved angularly to raise the selected drop weight.

6. In. a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, means movable into alignment with any selected drop weight to raise the same, and mechanism including a yielding finger to hold said means in any one of a plurality of positions where it will be in alignment with one or another of the drop weights.

7. In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, adrop weight for each connector, means movable into alignment with any selected drop weight to raise the same, said means being movable angularly and longitudinally and having a series of circumferential grooves therein spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between adjacent drop Weights, and means to enter any one of the grooves de pending upon the longitudinal position of said means and restrain longitudinal move ment of aid means.

8. In a loom pattern mechanism having a plurality of pattern controlled levers, harness jacks and connectors for the jacks, a drop weight for each connector, a longitudinally and angularly movable shaft having grooves therein spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between drop weights, devices on the shaft to engage and raise cer tain of the drop weights as said shaft is moved angularly, a resilient finger to enter one or another of the grooves to align the shaft and devices with respect to the drop weights, a flattened surface formed on the shaft, and a relatively broad spring to engage the flattened surface and hold the shaft in normal angular position, said spring being broader than the grooves to pass over without entering the same when the shaft is moved longitudinally.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto affixed our signatures.

KENNETH J. UNIVIN. WVALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

